Airplanes and control cables

[Ardy123]

My understanding is that most ww2 fighter aircraft control surfaces were connected to the stick via control cables. What kept the balance between the control cables? was it tension?

Also, how did that work? one can pull on a cable but if you push on it, it will just be slack? did it make a loop.. ie one cable looped from one aliron to the stick then to the other aliron then back?

Wouldn't loosing half an h-stab or aliron throw the stick and cable tension completely out of balance? maybe even cause both control surfaces to not work?

did planes have control attachments on both sides of the elevators? (ie left and right sides of the rudder)?

[Fish42]

Could not have said it better...

[Charge]

I think many had rods instead of cables. Rods are better in sense that you can both push and pull them and they do not need tightening.

-C+

[MAINER]

I think many had rods instead of cables. Rods are better in sense that you can both push and pull them and they do not need tightening.

-C+

It all depends on the aircraft. Most of the earlier aircraft of WWII had cables but towards the later part they started using control rods. Most of the times on cable controlled aircraft there was one that pulled depending on which way the control surface was going. Sometimes they went in a loop.

[Flench]

Called a push and pull .

[Karnak]

Fw190s had rods, but most WWII aircraft had cables.  The main difference as I understand it is that rods don't stretch as the aircraft ages whereas cables do.  So a new Fw190 and Spitfire both have tight, precise controls, but a war weary Fw190 and Spitfire will have a Fw190 with tight controls and a Spitfire with sloppy, mushy controls if the cables have not been tightened recently.

[Ardy123]

(Image removed from quote.)

Could not have said it better...

So looking at the diagram, if one aliron was lost, control of both alirons would be gone.

[MiloMorai]

Fw190s had rods, but most WWII aircraft had cables.  The main difference as I understand it is that rods don't stretch as the aircraft ages whereas cables do.  So a new Fw190 and Spitfire both have tight, precise controls, but a war weary Fw190 and Spitfire will have a Fw190 with tight controls and a Spitfire with sloppy, mushy controls if the cables have not been tightened recently.

The Fw190 used a mix of rods and cables.

ailerons > rods
rudder > at the stick rods to the differential unit, then cables to the rudder
elevator > at the stick rods to bellcranks, then cables to the differential unit, then rods to the elevator.

***************
control cables were usually doubled.

[curry1]

So looking at the diagram, if one aliron was lost, control of both alirons would be gone.

I'm sure there is fail safe involved and that is just a basic diagram.

[Baumer]

No there aren't fail safes there are only two cables per control (in general) in most WW2 aircraft.

It was part of the routine maintenance to keep the controls properly rigged and tensioned especially if a control surface was damaged or replaced. The areas that degraded were more commonly all the pulleys and bearings in side them that created a feel of slop in the controls. This type of wear effected both cables and rods.

[Baumer]

Here's a typical example from the B-25C maintenance manual this is the aileron rigging and tension specs.

[Old Sport]

There used to be a film at Zeno's (http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/main.html) about field assembly of the P-47 and it showed push rods at least for the ailerons.

[curry1]

No there aren't fail safes there are only two cables per control (in general) in most WW2 aircraft.

It was part of the routine maintenance to keep the controls properly rigged and tensioned especially if a control surface was damaged or replaced. The areas that degraded were more commonly all the pulleys and bearings in side them that created a feel of slop in the controls. This type of wear effected both cables and rods.

So if you lose one aileron then both give out becuase there would be no tension on the other side.

[Flench]

So if you lose one aileron then both give out becuase there would be no tension on the other side.

Not unless it damage the cable some how .

[Baumer]

So if you lose one aileron then both give out becuase there would be no tension on the other side.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, looking at the B-25 image lets say a flack burst cut both cables to the right aileron. The left aileron would still function because it has it's own set of separate cables to move it. But there is no redundancy in the right aileron.